2025 Girls Varsity Coaches
Makayla Jones-Klausing
Hello! My name is Makayla (Mak) Jones-Klausing and this will be my second season coaching the Stars. If I seem familiar, it’s because I was a coach during our 2022 season! I was living in Colorado briefly for 2023, and am very excited to be back home gearing up for our 2024 season. I started playing Ultimate Frisbee in high school - and was lucky enough to be a part of the original members of St. Louis Park High Schools Ultimate Frisbee team - Crush. It was love at first pull - and I’ve been privileged enough to grow and learn through many club experiences. Starting with the U20 Women’s YCC team, later my college team at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. During my summers I played on both womens and mixed teams which were always a lot of fun. Outside of frisbee I also play hockey, snowboard and am currently working at a vet clinic and am taking classes to apply to vet school this upcoming Fall.
My favorite part about coaching is seeing the growth that each player experiences from the start of the season to the last game of State. I am excited to get to coach GRS again and am looking forward to everything this season will bring!
Hello! My name is Anna Gleason and this will be my first year coaching The Stars. I started playing Ultimate my sophomore year of high school and was one of the founding members of the Saint Louis Park Girls Crush. Since that first season of playing, Ultimate Frisbee became my passion. After high school, I attended UW- River Falls and played Ultimate all 4 years of college. I was a captain for 3 of those years and the club president for 2. During my summers, I played on a mixed club team in the twin cities called Identity Theft. I currently work for a print shop in Saint Louis Park and am lucky enough to work with my family every day! In my free time I enjoy hiking with my dog and weightlifting. I am unfortunately no longer able to play Ultimate due to a few too many knee injuries but am so excited to continue being involved in the sport through coaching. I am a firm believer that anyone can play Ultimate and I cannot wait to see players build their confidence this season!
Leona DeRango
Hello! My name is Leona (Leo) they/them. This is my first year coaching the high school girls team. I have been playing frisbee for about 13 years at many different levels. I played for Open World Learning in high school and then briefly played at the University of Puget Sound in Washington state for college. I have also played on several mixed club teams over the years including MSP, Bird, and Drag’n Thrust! I currently work at Great River as a classroom assistant in the lower elementary. In my free time, I enjoy shooting film photos and walking my dog.
Liv Peer
My name is Liv Peer and I am one of the coaches of the High School Girls Ultimate Team! This will be my 3rd year coaching the team here at GRS and I'm super excited to be back. A few things about myself: I am a licensed social worker and graduate student at the University of Minnesota. I am originally from St. Croix Falls, WI, moved to Northfield, MN to complete undergrad, and have been living in Minneapolis since 2021. I began playing ultimate during my freshman year at St. Olaf in 2017, and played all four years that I was on campus. I made some incredible friends and got to travel all over to play tournaments. After graduation I joined a mixed club team in Minneapolis, Bird, and have been enjoying spending my summers playing with them. I love coaching because it gives me a chance to stay connected to Ultimate and empower young people through community and movement. I am excited to get to know new players and see where this season takes us!
2025 Boys/Open Coaches (JV and Varsity)
Lucas Bulger
Lucas grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, playing ultimate for Great River School and the Minnesota Superior Youth Club program. He earned his Bachelor's in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University in 2019, and currently works as an Environmental Planner for a private engineering firm. Lucas has played and coached ultimate for club teams in the Twin Cities, and is entering his fourth year coaching the Great River School program. In his free time, Lucas enjoys hiking, biking, cooking, and watching sports.
Leo Sovell-Fernandez
Leo graduated from GRS in 2018 and attended Middlebury College where he won a D3 national championship! Leo has also played frisbee with Team USA, club teams Sub Zero and Drag'n Thrust, and won the UFA championship playing on the MN Windchill. He is also currently working at MNU. Leo has many years of experience in schools, camps, and youth programs, and is excited to be return to the Stars coaching group!
Joe Cregan
I grew up about a mile north of Great River in the Como neighborhood. My dad taught me how to throw a disc on the windy shores of the Apostle Islands as a kid. I learned to play ultimate as a high school student at Great River, graduating in 2013. I went on to play college ultimate at the University of Minnesota here in the Twin Cities, and continue to play ultimate year round. I coached one of Great River’s middle school teams the past two seasons, but decided to join the high school program this year as an Open Junior Varsity coach. In the spring of 2019 I started substitute teaching at Great River, and then later took a position as a Lower Adolescent Special Education Guide, which allowed me to build relationships with almost all of the students who are in the high school program. Although I moved on from teaching at the end of last school year, I’m grateful I can stay connected to the GRS community through coaching. I’m excited that Great River has a dedicated Open JV team again and I’m looking forward to the upcoming season!
Ian Bromander
Ian learned to play ultimate as a high school student at Great River, and graduated in 2018. Since 2021, they have worked as an education assistant at Great River. Ian has two years of experience coaching Middleschool Ultimate at Great River, and one year coaching high school.